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He voiced his frustrations over claims made during the first day of the hearing accusing him of being “tainted” by his own bad experiences.

PC Aran Gibbs is subject to misconduct proceedings

He said: “It really frustrates me that people are clutching at straws.”

Throughout the questioning by Edward Pleeth, who presented the case against the officer, Pc Gibbs appeared visibly frustrated, at some points leaning back into his chair and extending his arms while sighing.

Pc Gibbs also strongly disputes the claim there was a ‘stark contrast’ between his approach to the mother and father.

At one point during the incident, which appeared in the bodycam footage shown on the first day of the hearing, Pc Gibbs suggested to the other officer he was working with that they swap who they were speaking to. The other officer then went to speak to the mother while he went to speak to the father.

He added: “That just clearly evidences the balanced approach I was taking. I am asking another officer to go into another room where I am not there to see if she gleans the same as I did, and she did.”

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During his evidence Pc Gibbs was asked to describe how the mother and father were on the day of the incident. He described the father as “calm” and “reasonable” and “caring” towards the child.

On the mother’s behaviour, Pc Gibbs said: “I am trying to be really objective here and use the correct terminology. I did find she was angry and I get she was frustrated so we can change angry to frustrated.”

(Image: Leicestershire Police)

After discussing the issue with a colleague at the scene and with his sergeant, the officer decided to leave the child with the father after making the mother return all the items she had put into her car that the father needed to care for the child.

Pc Gibbs says he has attended hundreds or thousands of domestic incidents during his 11 years as a police officer.

Just over a year since the incident, Pc Gibbs stands by the decision he made on the day.

He said: “I still feel it was exactly the right decision, the child is safe and well and at that time it was the right decision.”